POLICE officers were in celebratory mood yesterday on the 30th anniversary of their force's formation.

The North Yorkshire force was formed on April 1, 1974.

Chief Constable Della Cannings hosted a lunch at the force headquarters at Newby Wiske, near Northallerton.

Special guests at the lunch were 60 employees who have been with the force since its inception.

Together, they have clocked up an astonishing 1,800 years of service. Ms Cannings said: "This is a wonderful achievement and one which deserves to be recognised."

The history of the force can be traced back to 1856 and the formation of the North Riding Constabulary, which, ignoring an amalgamation with Scarborough Borough in 1947, remained little changed until 1968.

Since then, there have been several reorganisations.

Ms Cannings said: "The force has an excellent reputation and a proud history. In addition to providing an efficient, high-quality day-to-day policing service, it has been called upon many times in the face of tragedy, disaster and adversity, and has not been found wanting.

"The fact that so many members of staff who were with the force in 1974 are still with us today is testimony both to their dedication and also to the quality of North Yorkshire Police as an organisation."